The miniStack Max fits right on top of the Mac Mini and combines a CD/DVD drive, a hard drive up to 4 TB, an SD card reader, and additional ports (USB 3/2, FireWire 800/400, eSata) including a USB port that can be used to recharge an iPad or other iDevice. If you just want additional hard drives and ports, you can get the miniStack instead.

All current iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models use Sandy Bridge processors. Currently, Intel is working on Ivy Bridge, the successor to Sandy Bridge, which is designed to be faster and use less power. While Ivy Bridge isn’t scheduled to be released until Q2 2012, there is already information being released, both officially and unofficially.

Too often in my time I’ve seen people with their iMac or monitor sitting on top of books or some other haphazard system to raise the screen to a more ergonomic level. Worse, I’ve seen people with their slick little Mac mini shoved behind a monitor, USB hub or some other piece of hardware. There’s no need for this kind of nonsense when you’ve got something as simple as NewerTech’s NuStand mini XL at your disposal. As the name implies, this stand/riser is designed specifically with the Mac mini in mind.

A feature within the iPhone 4S that hasn’t been mentioned much is its support for the Bluetooth 4.0 standard, which was announced back in 2010 and focuses on powering devices that use low energy and many sensors that are powered by button cell batteries. Devices for which Bluetooth 4.0 has been designed include glucose meters, heart rate monitors, and pedometers, amongst others.

It’s always a positive development when an established company returns to making products for Apple computers. Corsair, which makes components for PCs, is now selling 4GB or 8GB DDR3 Mac memory for all Macs sold since 2010. That includes the iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models. The cost for the 4GB DDR3 is $27.99 and the 8GB DDR3 is $54.99 at Newegg and can be purchased now.

Last month, Appletell reported on iFixit’s look inside the Mac Mini mid 2011 model in which they discovered there’s room for a second hard drive. All you need is a special connector for the hard drive and the tools to take apart your Mac Mini. Why Apple didn’t offer that as an option when the server version has two hard drives is a mystery to me, but thanks to iFixit, you can correct Apple’s oversight.

What’s interesting is that most of the components of the MacBook Air are the same as last year’s model. Just as in 2010, the SSD is not soldered to the logic board, so it’s replaceable if you want more hard drive space. However, you won’t be able to buy any kind of SSD to put in yourself since it’s a proprietary model and it’s doubtful Apple will make one available.

To go with today’s MacBook Air and Mac mini refreshes, Apple has dropped its prices for its certified refurbished previous-generation Airs and minis. All models, both new and refurbished, are available now from Apple with free shipping for purchases from the online store and a 1-year warranty. Prices for the refurbished MacBook Airs are as follows…

Apple Computer refreshed the Mac Mini today by adding dual-core Intel i5 and i7 processors, a Thunderbolt port, and a discrete graphics card. What’s interesting is that the standard Mac Mini no longer has a built-in optical drive. Instead, there’s an option for an external SuperDrive for $79 which reads and writes from DVDs and CDs. In addition, Apple announced its upcoming Cinema Display.

Brian Tong from CNET is predicting that a refresh to the Mac Pro and Mac Mini line-ups will be coming in either late July or early August of this year. Not many details on what the refreshes will include have been released, although we’re likely to see additions of features such Thunderbolt I/O and Sandy Bridge processors as with the other refreshes that have already taken place this year.